


some things could be better, if we'd all just let them be

by benedettatello



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Some angst, Then fluff, whoops i did it again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 00:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9632084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benedettatello/pseuds/benedettatello
Summary: It became her strongest ability, being able to understand Emma; without even using words. All it took was just a look, even for a brief instant. Emma was a closed book for everyone, even for Regina, but the most beautiful thing about it all was that Regina didn't even need it to be opened, she could read her in a disarmingly easy way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Mix Guns N' Roses and Swan Queen, there you go. The title is clearly taken from ”Yesterday” but it is highly suggested to listen to ”November Rain” before/during/after this fic; whatever suits you.
> 
> A bit of angst never hurt anyone.
> 
> Disclaimer: Mistakes are likely to happen as English isn't my first language. Bear with me and help me if you find some.
> 
> Enjoy x

“And then at one point: BOOM! It exploded! Good thing we were wearing our safety glasses” Henry ended telling Emma the crazy experience he had at his chemistry class that day.  
Picking Henry up from school was something Emma never took for granted. She thought that life should be appreciated for these little moments: picking up your kid from school then tucking him in at night. Something she never had and still thought about with an heavy heart, but learned to look forward because there were so many nights left in which she could made sure Henry never, ever, even for a second, felt alone or unloved.

It was late in the afternoon as Emma parked in front of the mansion as the two got out of the yellow bug and made their way towards the Mills' porch, and a moment later Regina opened the front door to greet them.  
”Hello Henry,” the brunette said with outstretched arms to welcome him into an hug ”How was school today?”  
”Great, I was just talking about this crazy thing that happened at my chemistry class to Emma” the boy said while wrapped into his mother's loving arms as Regina instantly looked up to acknowledge the blonde's presence. "Emma, hi" Regina almost whispered with a smile that Emma was sure could light up the whole town.  
“Hi” the saviour greeted back, knowing both of them were thinking about their very first encounter, like a déjà-vu.  
Regina stared at her intensely, piercing right through her reaching down into her core, as if she wanted to know the deepest, darkest secrets the blonde seemed to hide; until Henry freed himself from her gasp with a smile, entering his home leaving the two women alone on the porch.

"You alright?" Emma friendly asked as the sun went down and was starting to get dark.  
"Yes, sure," the brunette responded nonchalantly "What about you? How have you been?"  
Emma lightly chuckled as she answered "Yeah, good I guess" and shrugged, knowing that what she has just said was a big and fat lie.  
And Regina, always the smart one, could easily understand that what just came out from Emma's mouth didn't sound very much real.  
"Emma." The brunette started, "What?" the blonde quickly replied, starting to feel very anxious and cold too, her red leather jacket might have looked cool but did so little during low temperatures, Emma couldn't bring herself to care though.  
"Don't lie to me.” Regina stated with a serious tone which almost resembled those the former Evil Queen used to have.

Emma felt her surroundings silencing completely as she took in Regina's affirmation. What was the point in lying to Regina? She knows, she always does. You don't fool around with somebody who took their time to fully get to know you to the point they know you better than you do yourself.  
"Emma," the brunette's voice brings Emma back on planet Earth, interrupting her flow of thoughts "What's going on? Talk to me." Regina whispered so softly, a tone she only used for the blonde.  
At this point Emma was fully convinced it was pointless to act as if nothing was wrong in her life, as if her whole world hasn't been turned upside down just a few months before. ”Regina, I-” and then it hit Regina all of a sudden, realising what was actually going on.

"Emma... We've talked about this. It just happened. How many more gentle ways do I have to find to tell you to get over-” "Have you?" Emma instantly interrupted, leaving respect at the door, literally.  
"I'm sorry, what?" Confusion started to make way through Regina's mind. It seemed that it was one of those days in which she couldn't quite comprehend or decode what was Emma thinking. It became her strongest ability, being able to understand Emma; without even using words. All it took was just a look, even for a brief instant. Emma was a closed book for everyone, even for Regina, but the most beautiful thing about it all was that Regina didn't even need it to be opened, she could read her in a disarmingly easy way.  
"Have you got over it?" Emma simply replied, time for playing around and act like teenagers was up. They were grown-ups goddamnit, why did it have to be so hard?

Regina was lost for words, unable to form a proper response straightaway so she just blabbered, "We can't talk about this."  
"Oh we don't? So when you decide for all of us not to talk about probably the best moment in our whole lives ever again it's fine, but when I try to bring it up to actually have my say we cannot fucking talk about this?" Emma was fuming, her blood boiling in her veins, she couldn't see past her anger. “You don't lie to me now!" exhausted, she shouted with everything she had.  
”For the love of god Emma, will you calm down?" breath in, breath out. “What I did is for the best, you know that."  
Emma laughed loudly, almost bending in two, "Are you even listening to yourself right now? "For the best"?. Who the hell are you to know what's best for me?" the blonde deadpanned, taking a step forward to have a better look of the woman in front of her as the sun was completely out now.  
Emma looked into those big brown eyes for what felt like an eternity; trying to find something, anything: an emotion, a tear, an hesitation. She searched and searched, desperate for a lifeline because she thought she couldn't do this any longer.

It was too hard and unjustly one-sided, but she was determined to prove her wrong.  
Regina stared back at her, trying so hard to conceal everything she was feeling inside. She was past this, she made her decision. She has moved on, she was convinced. She had to. But the heart never lies, and this time it was no different: she clearly hasn't.  
"I'm a grown-up woman," Emma started, "I can make decisions for myself. I know what's best for me." and said with a confidence she didn't know she had. “You don't want to talk about it? Fine. But we'll talk about it one more time. I have to let it all out."

Emma took a very deep breath to prepare for what was about to happen, and unconsciously so did Regina. "That kiss we shared, it honestly meant the world to me. It felt like the rightest thing in the world. You just... You don't walk away from those kisses." Regina hated every second of this.  
“And I bet for you it was the same." Go big or go home, that was Emma's motto. She was getting herself in a very dangerous situation, but the risk was worth to take. The more she talked, the more she advanced until she stood right in front of Regina; only a few millimetres between them.  
“You made me feel unspeakable things, and I don't, ever, want to walk away from them.”  
All the anger and fury Emma felt minutes before just disappeared, with a new yet familiar emotion taking over her: love.

She grabbed Regina's cheeks, lightly shaking, and pressed her forehead to hers. "You've searched for happiness your entire life, and you think you've found it," Emma closed her eyes to stop the tears she knew were about to fall down her own cheeks, the thought of the brunette wrapped around the arms of that bandit haunting her dreams every night. “Well, think again."  
Emma let out a sob she couldn't contain any longer, allowing the tears to freely escape from her eyes. "Regina, please, I beg you," the blonde looked up to stare at her, making sure she had her full attention.  
“Don't hold back." A soft, barely audible, whisper.

 

All of the walls and barriers Regina tried to build for months were shattered in a matter of minutes, nullifying her remarkable attempt at trying to keep her emotions at bay.  
Emma was right, searching for happiness was the only thing she has ever known. She got so good at it, but with no results. The one thing she always hated was when someone told her what to do, how to live her life. Following the fairy's instructions was totally against her beliefs, but she did it anyway. Happiness was just too precious for it to slip right through her fingers. And what did she get in the end? Nothing. Nothing that resembled happiness.  
Until her lips meet Emma's for the first time, the moment the world shifted on his axis to find its perfect balance, the place to be.

But fairies weren't known for being wrong, therefore that little moment of true, authentic happiness was, well, just a moment.  
They say when you find your true love, you feel it. You feel the chemistry, the flawlessness, you feel it being epic, you feel it truly being the once-in-a-lifetime thing everyone talks about. And when you get a taste of it, you don't want to let go.

And Regina decided that she actually didn't want to let go. She was so, so tired of pretending. It was time for life to run its course, without her interfering. It was time she embraced that the woman in front of her was her undoing and at the same time her most true and authentic taste of happiness she's ever experienced.  
Her decision was sealed with a firm kiss pressed against Emma's lips, allowing herself to feel as whole for the first time in months.

As their tongues battled for supremacy, she felt on cloud nine.  
Screw fairies, screw predicted destinies. Life is too short to live up to anyone's expectations. Life is too short to refrain.  
Today she chose to let herself go with the flow.  
Today is the day she chose true happiness.  
And Regina's happiness is intricately linked to the one person whose heart was always ready to give but never wanting anything in return:  
Emma Swan.


End file.
